Find Federal Contracts in Your NAICS Automatically

Overview

Everyone in govcon checks SAM.gov. Almost nobody checks it well. The searches are noisy, the good opportunities are buried under thousands of irrelevant notices, and by the time a solicitation posts, the requirements were often shaped months ago by a vendor who was already talking to the program office.

This Hound reads every federal notice against what you actually do, surfaces the ones you can win, catches the sources-sought and presolicitation notices that come before the RFP, finds the contracting officer or program lead, and opens the conversation while there's still room to shape the requirement.

How to set it up

Four things to brief your Hound. This is the exact configuration behind this play.

A · Describe the opportunity

This is the brief every source is filtered against. You describe what you're looking for in plain language, add keywords to sharpen it, then set the structured criteria.

Tell Forest what you're looking for:

"I'm looking for federal contract opportunities that match my capability and size — solicitations, RFPs, RFQs, and task orders in my NAICS codes, at a contract value I can actually perform. I want the early signals too: sources-sought notices, RFIs, and presolicitations, because that's when requirements are still being shaped. Prioritize set-asides I qualify for. Skip opportunities outside my NAICS, contracts above my capacity, and anything with a deadline too close to respond well."

Keywords to watch for: sources sought · RFI · presolicitation · combined synopsis · RFQ · IDIQ · BPA · task order · [your NAICS codes] · [your capability] · [your set-aside status]

Fields to extract: solicitation_number · agency · office · title · naics_code · set_aside_type · notice_type · response_deadline · estimated_value · place_of_performance · poc_name · poc_email

Match criteria:

• ✓ NAICS matches your registered capability

• ✓ Set-aside type you qualify for (or unrestricted)

• ✓ Estimated value within your performance capacity

• ✓ Response deadline ≥ 10 days out

• ✗ Exclude notice types you can't act on (awards, justifications)

B · Choose the sources to monitor

All federal contract data is public and free. Forest connects it by default — the work is reading it well, not accessing it.

Federal (free — connected by default) 🟢

• SAM.gov — sam.gov — Every federal notice. Read three ways: solicitations (bid now), sources-sought / presolicitation (shape the requirement — the highest-leverage filter and the one almost nobody uses), and awards (who won what).

• FPDS-NG — fpds.gov — Every contract action, including modifications and task orders under existing vehicles.

• USASpending.gov — usaspending.gov — Award history and recipient profiles. Use it to see who's been winning your NAICS and how competitive an office really is.

• Agency procurement forecasts 🔵 — bring your own link — search "[agency] procurement forecast"; most publish planned contracts annually.

News & Press 🟡 default source, always on — reads the open web against your brief for budget approvals, program launches, and agency priority shifts that precede a solicitation.

C · Define the ICP to reach

Who to reach, in priority order, with fallbacks. Rules differ before and after a solicitation drops — see the note.

1. Program Manager / Technical POC — Primary before a solicitation — owns the need and shapes requirements — PRIMARY

2. Contracting Officer / Specialist — Owns the solicitation. Named in the notice — often source-native, no enrichment needed.

3. Small Business Specialist — Fallback; every agency has one and their job is to talk to you — FALLBACK

A note on the rules. Once a solicitation is formally released, communication is typically restricted to the official channel and the CO. That's exactly why this Hound watches sources-sought and presolicitation notices — that's the window when talking is encouraged. Know your agency's rules; when in doubt, ask.

D · Email & LinkedIn sequence

The play the Hound runs for each match. Fields from the notice drop in as variables.

Email · Day 0 Hi {{first_name}} — I saw {{agency}}'s {{notice_type}} for {{title}} ({{solicitation_number}}). We perform {{capability}} work under {{naics_code}} and have past performance with {{comparable_agency}}. If you're gathering market research at this stage, we'd welcome the chance to share what we've seen work on similar requirements.

↓ Wait 3 days · no reply

LinkedIn · connection request · Day 3 Hi {{first_name}} — reaching out regarding {{agency}}'s {{title}} requirement. Would value connecting.

↓ Wait 4 days · no reply

Email · Day 7 · follow-up Following up once on {{solicitation_number}} — happy to send our capability statement for the file, no obligation. And if this one's better handled through the formal channel, understood — we'd still like to be on your radar for future {{naics_code}} work.

⏸ Any reply on either channel pauses the whole sequence — the conversation is yours.